Monday, January 18, 2016

I've watched quite a few great TV comedies in the last few years, and Arrested Development has quickly become a favorite of mine. It's the story of a dysfunctional rich family that loses everything, and because of this unfortunate situation, they have to rely on Michael Bluth, the responsible middle son, to keep them together and get them out of their dilemma.

Why should you watch the show? Here are a few reasons.

1. The characters.
The interesting thing about Arrested Development is that the characters are almost entirely unlikable. They're petty, greedy and mean, but we keep watching. Arrested Development takes the assumption that stories must have likable characters and turns it on its head. I don't usually see this in any kind of story, and it makes it all the more interesting to watch.

Each member of the Bluth family is unbelievable quirky. Gob's a magician, Maeby's practically a con artist, Tobias...well, he's Tobias. Their antics are what make the show so enjoyable and, at times, face-palm-worthy.

2. The narrator.

Arrested Development's narrator goes beyond the job of normal narrators. He not only tells us about the show and its characters, he tells us about himself. Snarky and egotistical, the narrator adds so much to the nature of the show.

3. The storytelling.

Arrested Development makes me lose every train of thought in my head. Its deliciously complicated plot lines keep me on my toes, and I rarely know what's going to happen next. Even though it can be hard to follow at times, this makes it even more fun and interesting to watch.

The writers of Arrested Development seem to take the most improbable and ridiculous situations out of a hat and make them good. It's wonderful.

4. The humor.

I love weird ways of presenting ideas. I love it when jokes are turned on their heads to achieve a whole different meaning. I love weird comedy.

And this is definitely weird comedy. It's full of miscommunications that somehow turn out to be funny. Arrested Development is all of the jokes and puns you've ever heard in your life stuck together in a stew that turns out to be brilliant and delicious.

Besides this, there are so many recurring jokes. It's so much fun trying to spot all of them!

5. It's still running!Arrested Development first ran for 3 seasons from 2003 to 2006, after which it was canceled. However, Netflix picked it up in 2013 for its fourth season, and development for a fifth season is currently underway. Season 5 is tentatively scheduled to be released sometime in 2016. I can't wait to see what the Bluth family will be up to next.

Now is the perfect time to catch up on this fantastic show!

Have you seen Arrested Development? What do you think of it? If you haven't, what kind of comedies do you like to watch?